Tire.



c. B.`STEELE.

TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED'FEB. 19. 1901.

u Patented Aug. 24

INVENTOR rewfrvzly WITNESS:

g nnrrnn srnrns Para @union CHARLES BREWSTER STEELE, 0F NEW' YORK, N. Y.

TIRE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2d, 19115..

Application led February 19, 1907. Serial No. 358,330.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, CHARLES BREws'rER STEELE, a citizen of the United States, and

resident of New York city and State of New l'ness according to the type of vehicle upon which they are tol be used. yFor very heavy freight trucks the walls will be increased in thickness, so that the air space inside the tire will become very small, or become en tirely eliminated, in proportion as the weight of the vehicle, and the load for which the tire is intended, increases. When the walls are made thin, it makes 'an excellent inner tube for .a tire. rlhe tire is made of rubber, or other suitable material, and when constructed and inliated for an inner-tube, or a single tube, tire, consists in form and contour, of a series of individual spheres, united one to the other, which constitutes, in reality, one continuous annular pneumatically inflated. tube, divided into a series of air-chambers, or enlargements, the outer configuration of each chamber, or enlargement, forming, substantially, a sphere with a greater diameter than that of its inward boundary, which, collectively, form an annular air-chamber, and yet, preserves the individual resiliency of each individual hollow sphere.y In proportion, as the thickness of the walls is increased, the liability of puncture decreases, and the abilityl to support additional weight is augmented. The peculiar conguration and construction of the spheres, or enlargements, renders the tire very resilient and iiexible, and each sphere presenting almost its entire individual exterior to the atmosphere, and increasing the area of air contact, the heat generation 'so common to tires of other construction, is greatly diminished.

Figure l, is an elevation of the tire, showing the upper portion in section. Fig. 2, is

a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1".

The letter A, represents the tire, which' nis formed of a plurality of enlargements, B,

whose outward configurations are, substantially, that of spheres integrally united to each other. used as an inner tube, or a single tube, for supporting lighter weight vehicles, the enlargements, B, are made hollow, providing intercommunicating airchambers, which forman annular air-chamber, G, which may be pneumatically, or otherwise, inflated, the tire presenting an exterior appearance of a ring, or circle of united spheres, so constructively, and proportionally spaced, that only the traction surfaces of the spheres contact with the ground, the intervening recesses,A

C, and, D, made by the union of the sphere surfaces, forming an interior and exterior series of cushions, and so multiplying the `shock centers, that the tire is more sensitive to vibrations at the points where the shock disturbance is the greatest, andkwhen utilized as an inner-tube, the intervening exterior spaces, C, and, D, between the spheres, permit a circulation of air around the exterior surface of each sphere, and form a series of air-circulating chambers around, and between the outer surface of the inner-tube, andthe inner surface ofthe outer-tube, or tire-cover, which greatly reduces the temperature of the air of the iniation tube, and prevents the heating up of the tire.

The traction walls, or treads E, of the spheres, B, are suitably thickened, to attain the maximum of Wear and tear, and render the tire less liable to puncture. The sides and rim walls, F, of the spheres may be thinner than the treads, and being, each, counterpart in form, provide a similar additional series of exterior cushions, C, while the air chamber, G, has several series of interior cushions, a b c d all of which perform their individual functions, coperatively, act with yeach other to distribute the traction weight and air pressure.

Practical experience ideal pneumatic tire must produce certain results, endure rough usage on uneven roads, possess the least liability to puncture, have great resiliency, and not become overheated. To accomplish this, I have so constructed my tire that when used as a single tube, or as an innerltube, the ytraction periphery is made suitably thick to resist puncture, the multiple series of exterior rlm and tractlon cushions, providing the greatest range of When the tire isintended to be demands that the.

chamber, permit an ininite range of pneumatic displacement. Each sphere, and subair-chamber, acts, independently, as an individual shock absorber, superlatively sensitive to the slightest vibration, but, being an integral part, one in all, and all in one,

' of the continuous air-chamber, the cushion and pneumatic resiliency is so intensified,

. that any shock is vreceived with minimum resistance, and so instantaneously cut into such a multiplicity of vibrationy Waves, and so quickly and widely distributed, that the shock is dissipated before it reaches the Vehicle, whilethe cubical contents and tire surface, is so largely increased and so opportunely presented to the atmosphere, that the heat, so commonly generatedby friction, is greatly lessened, and the tire' air-cooled by its own revolution.

The modification shown in Fig. 5, illustrates the spherical enlargements, B, provided with an integrally connecting and continuous annular tread, g, which may be flush with the outer 4diameter of each sphere, or raised therefrom, for the purpose of giv; ing a wearing surface to the spheres, when used as a single tube tire.

Having describedmy invention, what I claim as new in this applicationfor Letters Patent, is v 1. A tire consisting of integrally united hollow spherical enlargements forming a continuous annular pneumatictube.

2. A tire consisting of hollow spheres integrallyy connected the distance between their centers being less than the sum of their radii l forming a continuous annular vpneumatic `tube.

8. A tire consisting of a plurality of en- V largements whose exterior configuration forms an annular series of integrally unlted spheres.

4. A tire consisting of a series of hollow spheres united to each other, the distance between their centers being less than the sum of their radii, the thickness of the walls f the spheres on the-outward boundary that form the tread ofthe tire, being greater than that on the inner boundary of the'tire.

5. A tire consisting of a series of symlmetrical enlargements united integrally with largements forming the chamber being of varying thicknesses, each chamber being onl communication with its contiguous chambers, and the' walls of each chamber being united to its contiguous chamber integrally, the distance between the centers of the enlargements being less than the distance through the enlargements.

7. A tire consisting of integrally united spherical enlargements provided with integral projections between the enlargements,

forming a continuous annular traction tread; i CHAS. BREWSTER STEELE.

Witnesses:

W. A. WHALEY, C. MIFORREST. 

